


Fielder's Choice

by paradisedise



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Baseball, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, and tall socks, cute fluffy sports fic, jaehyun in baseball pants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 09:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9998615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paradisedise/pseuds/paradisedise
Summary: for my lovely and talented friend @hyungwonwon . i'm so lucky to have met you and to have a friend like you.  never in my life did i think i would have a friend where we could gift sports au kpop fanfics with. i hope you like it :)





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [duckhyuck](https://archiveofourown.org/users/duckhyuck/gifts).



> for my lovely and talented friend @hyungwonwon . i'm so lucky to have met you and to have a friend like you. never in my life did i think i would have a friend where we could gift sports au kpop fanfics with. i hope you like it :)

“Yuta, wanna go to the gym?”

“I'm laying down and trying to enjoy myself. Why the hell would I want to go to the gym?” Taeyong’s roommate and best friend was curled up under a blanket and looked incredibly comfortable, but this was an emergency. 

“Because I just looked in the mirror and I realized I have chicken legs and I need to start working out immediately.”

Yuta huffed and pushed the blanket off of him, knowing Taeyong wouldn't stop bugging him about going unless he got up. A satisfied smile spread across Taeyong’s lips. “I'll go get my shoes on.”

The campus gym wasn't far from where Yuta and Taeyong lived despite the latter never stepping foot inside it. It smelled exactly how he imagined and he was starting to regret his decision. When they got to the weight room, Taeyong was displeased to see that he was probably the least fit person in there. “I wanna go home.”

“Are you serious? We just got here and you haven't even picked up a weight.” Yuta was a good motivator, blunt and borderline cruel at times. Taeyong still loved him, though. “Don't be a baby.” 

Taeyong begrudgingly followed Yuta to the free weights, sitting on the bench and struggling to do bicep curls while Yuta was deadlifting like an expert. He felt particularly dumb when he accidentally dropped the dumbbell, every person in the gym turning to stare at him judgmentally. He was about to flee to the lobby to wait for Yuta until angels starting singing and the ceiling opened up, light shining down in front of the men’s locker room door. The most gorgeous human being Taeyong had ever seen in his life was walking out of the door, tank top showing off beautifully defined arms and shorts that ran out into sculpted legs. Taeyong could see the sheen of sweat on his skin and when his eyes travelled up to his face, he was even more blown away. Black hair, slightly damp, was pushed back away from his forehead, revealing his face to be heart-stoppingly masculine yet soft. Taeyong was suddenly no longer interested in making his escape. 

“You scared the shit out of me!” Yuta yelped when Taeyong ran over to him and grabbed his arm, whipping him around so he could look at the angel coming out of the locker room. “What do you want?”

“Who is that?” Taeyong asked, not being able to take his eyes off the man as he headed over to the leg press. 

“Him? That’s Jaehyun, he's on the baseball team.”

“You didn't tell me there were hot guys on the baseball team!” Taeyong sounded betrayed. 

“Fuck you, Hansol is on the baseball team.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Taeyong smiled sheepishly. 

~~~ 

The next time Yuta headed to the baseball diamond to watch his boyfriend play, Taeyong begged if he could tag along. 

“I’ve asked you so many times before if you wanted to come to the games with me but you always said ‘no Yuta, baseball is so boring, who cares, blah blah blah’, but once you start thirsting for one of them you’re so eager to come with me.” Yuta seemed pissed but Taeyong knew that he was amused with the whole situation. He was happy to divulge more information about Jaehyun to Taeyong--he played first base, hit cleanup, and was MVP last season. Not to mention, he was single. 

They arrived at the stadium and made their way up the stands, eventually sitting in a couple of seats near the top. The sun was beating down and there were clouds of dust billowing up from the gravel on the field. The grass covering the infield was perfectly maintained and a lovely shade of green. Taeyong wondered why he hadn’t come with Yuta before. He was totally sold, however, when the home team took the field and he saw those uniforms. They were white with navy lettering across the chest and their names and numbers adorned the back. What really got Taeyong though, were the pants with those socks. Yuta, ever lovestruck, stood up and yelled to his boyfriend. He waved back with a shy grin and ran to his post in center field. Yuta and Hansol were grossly in love and it made Taeyong the slightest bit jealous. 

Running down the first base line was Jaehyun, legs looking miles long with his shirt tucked in and those socks were making Taeyong feel things. He couldn’t believe how ridiculous he was being. The game had started and innings were going by, but Taeyong couldn’t focus on anything besides the first baseman. Yuta wasn’t paying attention either, if Taeyong could guess he would say the boy next to him was transfixed on his awkward, lanky boyfriend. 

The game came to an end and the home team won, so Yuta dragged Taeyong down to the first row to watch the celebration. The players were filing into this dugout and Hansol blew Yuta a kiss, leaving him squealing. Jaehyun was running up and Taeyong couldn’t take his eyes off of him and Jaehyun happened to look up. They looked at each other until the dugout blocked Jaehyun’s view, and Taeyong’s stomach exploded with butterflies. 

~~~

“So, guess what?” Yuta asked, a devilish smile on his face. He and Taeyong were on the way to meet Hansol for lunch. Taeyong was used to third-wheeling, so it was no big deal. He was just bitter and single and desperate for love but it was fine. He was happy for Yuta, genuinely, so he tried not to sulk whenever he hung out with the two of them, but Taeyong wasn’t sure why Yuta had such an impish look on his face. Taeyong didn’t say anything for a moment and Yuta couldn’t help but give the surprise away. “Jaehyun is going to be at lunch.” 

Taeyong wanted to push Yuta’s ass into the mud puddle on right off of the sidewalk. “What the fuck? Why didn’t you tell me that before I decided to look like asshole today?”

“Because I know your annoying ass would freak out about it the entire time you were getting ready. You should be happy I’m helping set you guys up.” 

“Does he know I’m gonna be there?”

“No, Jaehyun and Hansol are good friends so Hansol wants him to meet me. I’m bringing you because I’m a nice person and the best friend you’ll ever have.” 

Taeyong let out an indignant sigh, knowing Yuta was just trying to help him. They walked into the restaurant, some no name diner, and saw Hansol waving to them from one side of a booth. There was a head of black hair on the other side and Taeyong’s stomach did a backflip. Even the back of Jaehyun’s head was flawless. 

Yuta, that piece of shit, slid in next to his boyfriend and snuggled up to his side with another evil smile on his face knowing Taeyong had to sit next to Jaehyun. “Jaehyun, this is my boyfriend Yuta and his roommate, Taeyong.” 

“Nice to meet you both.” Jaehyun had a low yet sweet as honey voice and up close he was even more gorgeous. Taeyong could see the way the corners of his eyes curled slightly, the slope of his nose, and the subtle fullness of his lips. Taeyong looked away before it looked like he was staring. 

“You were at the game the other day, right?” Jaehyun turned his head to look at Taeyong and Taeyong resisted the urge to excuse himself to the bathroom so he could throw up from nervousness. 

“Yeah, I was there with Yuta.” There was an unforgiving tremble in his voice. 

“I thought I saw you. You should come to the next one too.” Jaehyun smiled, and Taeyong was taken aback when horrifyingly adorable dimples appeared in his cheeks. All he could do was nod in response, bottom lip between his teeth. 

~~~

Taeyong would have been stupid to not go to the next game with Yuta, too. Jaehyun and Hansol were running next to each other while taking the field and as Hansol turned around to wave at Yuta, Jaehyun turned and smiled at Taeyong too. Taeyong felt like his knees turned to jelly. The game carried on and both Jaehyun and Hansol were making plays along with their teammates. Jaehyun hit a triple in the bottom of the eighth to drive a run in, tying the game. The highlight for Taeyong was when he was rounding third and got caught in a pickle, the third baseman and catcher trying to keep him on third to contain the damage. Jaehyun dove back to third and stood up with a characteristically blinding smile, brushing the dirt off of his jersey. He clearly had fun on the field and Taeyong found it painfully endearing. After extra innings the home team finally won and Taeyong was only mildly alarmed that he had become so invested in the game. 

Yuta was waiting for Hansol outside of the stadium and Taeyong assumed they were going back to him and Yuta’s place together, but when Hansol came out the two of them started walking in the opposite direction.

“Wait, where are you guys going? I thought we were all going back to our place.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Hansol and I have dinner reservations. Sorry!” Yuta looked actually apologetic for once. Taeyong stood in his spot, feeling abandoned.

“Do you need someone to walk you home?” A low voice rumbled from behind Taeyong. He turned around and was blessed with the image of Jaehyun, hair still wet from his shower and changed into regular clothes. Taeyong smiled.

“That would be nice.” 

Jaehyun accompanied Taeyong home as the sky was getting dimmer. The walk wasn’t too far, but by the time they arrived at Taeyong and Yuta’s place, it was dark. Jaehyun looked fatally handsome in the soft lights of the street lamps. 

 

“So are you a big baseball fan?” Jaehyun asked, stopping in front of the door and turning to face Taeyong. Only then did Taeyong realize that Jaehyun had a few inches on him and it made him feel a way he wasn’t sure if he loved or hated. 

“Moreso recently,” Taeyong admitted, trying to put on his most charming smile. 

“That’s good to hear, because I would love it if you kept coming to our games.” Jaehyun grinned. “It’s nice having someone in the stands.” 

Taeyong pushed gently at his shoulder playfully. “You’re the best player on the team, everyone in the stands is probably there to see you.”

Jaehyun looked a little embarrassed at the compliment. “I want you there, though.”

“I’ll see you next time, then.” 

~~~

Next time came a couple weeks later after a few games on the road. If they won this game, they were guaranteed a playoff spot so the energy was high and the tension was palpable. The stands were more crowded than ever, but Yuta and Taeyong arrived early so they could sit along the first base side. That was the best seat to watch Jaehyun.

Their opponents were tough, keeping the home team on their toes until the very end. Both Hansol and Jaehyun were playing fantastically, the score one to one until the bottom of the eighth when Hansol hit a line drive double to right field, driving in the runner on third. Yuta screamed so loud when he hit it that Taeyong thought he might have lost hearing in his ear for a moment. 

The top of the ninth came and if the home team held the other team to one run, they would be victorious. Jaehyun jogged out to first base right in front of Taeyong and he could tell how nervous Jaehyun was. There was sweat beading near his temples by the edge of his cap, and he was fidgety. Taeyong didn’t know it was like Jaehyun to get nervous.

The first batter was thrown out by the shortstop at first but then the closer walked a runner, followed by a double, leaving men on two and three. The next batter was up to the plate and the entire stadium was on edge, biting their nails in anticipation. It wasn’t like the home team to blow a lead like this. All they needed were these last couple outs to win the game and clinch, but one slip up and the man on third would score, sending them into the bottom of the ninth and then who knows what. 

The pitcher kicked the dirt on the mound, engaging in some superstitious ritual that only pitchers know about. There was a possible out at home and three, but normally the fielders would throw to first base for the force out. The other runners’ lead offs made it hard to get them out unless they acted fast, but going too fast lead to errors. Whoever made the next play had a decision to make. 

Characteristic of a lefty, the away team’s batter hit a hard, bouncing ground ball down the first base line and Taeyong felt his heart stop. Dips in the gravel were making the ball come towards Jaehyun recklessly and unreadable. Within a split second the ball was to Jaehyun and he stopped it but fumbled for a quick moment and Taeyong was going to lose it, screaming his lungs out not even knowing what he was saying. Jaehyun gained control and sprinted to first for the out, but the runner on third was already well on his way home. This was it, they would have to go to the bottom of the ninth and fight for the lead. 

Nobody was expecting Jaehyun to tag first base and fire it to home. The throw was flawless, low and on target to the right side of the plate. It was like time slowed down as the throw was sailing through the air and the runner on third was racing to home plate, beginning to go into a headfirst dive. The catcher was ready, though, and Jaehyun’s perfect throw made the tag easy. It was still close, though, and there was a moment where the runner was on the ground covered in dirt, hanging onto the plate for dear life after the catcher had already tagged him. It was like time stood still as the umpire contemplated his decision. After what seemed like an excruciatingly long moment, he raised a fist and yelled. 

“You’re out!”

The stadium erupted into cheers, Taeyong included. Jaehyun made the final play, he saved the day like the star he was. The players were screaming just as loud and racing to the plate to celebrate and Taeyong thought the smile on Jaehyun’s face was the prettiest in the world. Jaehyun, however, was running towards Taeyong and throwing off his glove. 

“What are you doing? You made the final out! Go celebrate with the t-”

Taeyong was cut short by Jaehyun’s lips pressing to his and large palms cupping the sides of his face. Warmth bloomed in Taeyong’s chest and he couldn’t help but smile into the kiss, bringing his hands up to grip Jaehyun’s wrists. After a blissful moment, Jaehyun pulled away.

“Wait for me outside?” 

Taeyong grinned and nodded. He watched as Jaehyun ran to his teammates, caught looking.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos of course always appreciated :)
> 
> also if u have any questions about the baseball terminology you can google it or ask me lol


End file.
